# Naples A historic centre of Greek streets, tunnels under Via dei Tribunali and the Veiled Christ; and less than an hour away by train, Pompeii, Herculaneum and the crater of Vesuvius. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/campania/naples · Revisado: 2026-11-12 ## How do you get there from Spain? Fly to Naples-Capodichino airport, north of the city, with direct flights from several Spanish cities. You can also fly to Rome and take the high-speed train down to Napoli Centrale. ## How do you get around? The historic centre is covered on foot. For Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius, the Circumvesuviana leaves from the central station area: the Napoli–Sorrento line stops at Ercolano Scavi and Pompei Villa dei Misteri. For the islands, hydrofoils from Molo Beverello and ferries from Porta di Massa. Don't bring a car: the traffic is chaotic and you don't need one. ## What do you need to book? Vesuvius, whose tickets are sold only online in 10-minute slots; the Sansevero Chapel, with compulsory reservation; and Pompeii in high season, with a daily visitor cap. Everything else can be decided as you go. ## Where to sleep and where to eat? To get around on foot, sleep in the historic centre: the Hotel Piazza Bellini is five minutes from the Archaeological Museum and has rooms for five. If you're coming for Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Hostel Mancini is 650 metres from the station and the Circumvesuviana. For a night with the gulf in front of you, the Grand Hotel Parker's, on the Chiaia hill, open since 1870. To eat, the pizza at L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele, four varieties at €6.50 and no reservations; the Neapolitan cooking of Mimì alla Ferrovia, next to the station since 1943; and for the special dinner, the chef's menus at Palazzo Petrucci, above the sea at Posillipo. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Amalfi Coast (a 37.3 km), Sperlonga and Gaeta (a 77.2 km) ## Qué hacer - **Pompeii by Train from Naples** (4 h 30 · All ages · Desde 20 € per person): Pompeii is enormous: do not try to see all of it. Enter by Porta Marina, walk through the forum and the main streets and choose a few houses open that day; the park publishes each day which ones can be visited. Why go and who it suits No other place shows so well how an ordinary Roman city lived: the bakeries with their ovens, the counters of the taverns, the election graffiti on the façades, the stepping stones for crossing the street without treading in mud. It suits anyone with curiosity, from teenagers who have studied Vesuvius in class to people travelling through the history of art. It suits less anyone who cannot stand the heat or walking on stone: it is kilometres of uneven paving, with little shade. With small children it works if you shorten the visit and make it a treasure hunt: the amphitheatre, a bakery, a dog painted in a mosaic. Which ticket to buy For a first visit the Pompeii Express, at €20, is enough, giving access to the ancient city. The Pompeii Plus, at €25, adds the suburban villas, the Villa Regina at Boscoreale with its Antiquarium and the Pompeii Artebus shuttle that links them. If you are going to spend more days in the area, there is a €30 three-day ticket that adds Oplontis, the villas of Stabiae and their museum, with one entry per site. The ticket is single-entry: if you leave, you cannot re-enter with the same ticket. EU citizens aged 18 to 24 pay €2 on the tickets that indicate it. The park announces a new fare system from 1 January 2027, so check the price if you are travelling next year. When to go From October to April there are fewer people and less heat, but the days are short: in winter hours, from 15 October to 15 March, the last entry is at 15:30. In summer, from 16 March to 14 October, it opens from 9:00 to 19:00 and the last entry is at 17:30. It is closed on 25 December and 1 January. In July and August, enter at nine and leave before two, or enter late in the afternoon. On the first Sunday of each month entry is free, but it is the busiest day: if you do not mind paying, avoid it. What it costs in total Allow about €20 for entry, the return train from Naples and, if you want it, the audio guide: €9 for one adult or €14 for two, at the ticket desks at Porta Marina, Piazza Esedra and the amphitheatre, leaving ID as a deposit. The park's themed tours, lasting an hour and a half, cost €8 plus the entry. Facilities inside There are toilets at the three entrances, at the theatre, at the Casina dell'Aquila, at the Villa dei Misteri and next to the Antiquarium. The left-luggage, paid, is at Porta Marina and Piazza Anfiteatro: use it, because bags larger than 30 × 30 × 15 cm are not allowed in. Next to the forum, in Vicolo degli Augustali, there is a first-aid point. If it rains Pompeii can be seen in the rain, although the paving is slippery and there is almost nowhere to shelter. If it pours, swap the day for the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, where the mosaics and frescoes taken from Pompeii are, or for Herculaneum, smaller and easier to see in two hours. - **Great Cone Trail up Vesuvius** (2 h 30 · 4.0 km · From age 6 with good footwear · Desde 10 € per person): It is the park's trail number 5 and the only one that reaches the crater. It is not technical, but it is steep and the surface is loose. Above 1,000 m a park guide accompanies each group. Why climb it and who it suits Looking into the crater of the volcano that buried Pompeii and Herculaneum in AD 79 is one of those things that is better understood standing there than in a book. From the rim you see the bottom of the cone, a few fumaroles and, on a clear day, the whole Gulf of Naples, from Capri to the Sorrento peninsula. It is a short climb and suitable for almost anyone who walks without difficulty: about 2 km each way along a wide track of ash and lapilli. Children under 6 get in free accompanied by an adult, and from that age many children manage it without difficulty. What tires you is the slope and the sliding surface, not the distance. It is not for pushchairs or wheelchairs. How to get there By car. You cannot park at the 1,000 m piazzale. The car park is at 800 m, on the SP144 provincial road next to the Observatory, and is run by the Comune di Ercolano. The park advises paying for parking only after you have your trail ticket. From there you walk up for about 30 minutes (1.8 km) or take the municipal shuttle, €1 each way and about four minutes. By train and bus from Pompeii. The simplest option without a car is Trenitalia's Vesuvio Link: an integrated ticket with the train to Pompei station and the EAV bus that leaves from Piazza Anfiteatro, ten minutes' walk away. The bus leg costs €2.40 each way, added to the train, and it runs every day of the year. An EAV bus also stops near the Circumvesuviana Pompei Villa dei Misteri station. From Herculaneum. With the Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi, the way up to the volcano is by taxi or private shuttles. Opening hours and when to go The last entry changes with the month: at 15:00 from November to February, at 16:00 in March and October, at 17:00 from April to June and in September, and at 18:00 in July and August. It opens at 9:00. The first slots of the morning are the quietest and, in summer, the coolest. The clean air after a weather front gives the best views; the summer haze dulls them. In winter it is considerably colder up there than in Naples. What it costs The general ticket costs €10 and the reduced one €8 (residents of the park's municipalities and under-25s with ID), plus booking fees. Add parking and the shuttle if you go by car, or the Vesuvio Link ticket if you go by train. A morning at the volcano comes to about €20 per person without a car. If there is an alert or bad weather With an orange or higher weather alert from the regional Civil Protection, the park closes the trail and automatically refunds the amount to your card. If the day is thick with cloud, the crater is still visible, but the gulf is not. As an alternative, Herculaneum is at the foot of the volcano and is a good visit in the rain. - **Herculaneum, the City Covered by Mud** (2 h 30 · All ages · Desde 16 € per person): What it is and why it is worth a visit Herculaneum was a Roman city by the sea, at the foot of Vesuvius. The eruption of AD 79 buried it under between 10 and 25 metres of ash, lapilli and mud, and that layer, which hardened, sealed it in a different way from Pompeii: here the carbonised wood of beams, furniture and even a partition was preserved, along with food remains. That is why many houses keep their upper floor and you understand better how people lived inside. The site was revealed by chance by a well dug in 1709, and systematic excavation began in 1927. Today you see about four hectares of the twenty the city had: the rest remains under modern Ercolano. Since 1997 it has been a World Heritage Site, together with Pompeii and Oplontis. What to see The houses: the House of the Mosaic Atrium, the House of Neptune and Amphitrite, with its wall mosaic, the House of the Bicentenary and the House of the Stags. The baths: the Forum Baths, the Suburban Baths and the north-west baths. The ancient beach: under the arches where boats were kept, more than 300 skeletons of people trying to flee by sea were found. It is the most moving part. From the entrance you go down a ramp and see the whole city at your feet, with present-day Ercolano above it: it is the best way to understand how deeply the volcano covered it. Opening hours The park opens every day of the week: 16 March to 14 October: 8:30 to 19:30. Last entry at 18:00; you must leave the archaeological area by 19:00. 15 October to 15 March: 8:30 to 17:00. Last entry at 15:30; you leave by 16:40. It is closed on 25 December. Tickets General: €16. Ages 18 to 25: €2. Free: the cases set by Italian law, and for everyone on the first Sunday of each month, 25 April, 2 June and 4 November. On those days the ticket cannot be reserved: you collect it at the ticket office. You buy online from CoopCulture, which handles the park's ticket sales, and show it on your phone with the QR code. If you are coming back or adding other sites, the park sells the Ercolano Card (€30 per person) and accepts the Campania Artecard, which is activated at the ticket office. Getting there By train, from Napoli Centrale (Piazza Garibaldi), take the Circumvesuviana on the Naples–Sorrento line and get off at Ercolano Scavi. From the station it is about six minutes' walk to the entrance at Corso Resina 187. By car, leave the A3 Naples–Salerno motorway at Ercolano Scavi and follow the signs. From the centre of Naples, the train is simpler than the car. How long and when to go Allow between two and three hours to see the main things without rushing. It is much more manageable than Pompeii, which needs a day. In summer go first thing: there is little shade and the heat is fierce at midday. With children and accessibility It is a good site to visit with children: it is compact and the houses are easy to understand. The park offers a children's map to download. For visitors with reduced mobility there is a route marked in blue on the plan, "Ercolano per tutti", and from 2 November 2026 they lend wheelchairs free at the ticket office, while stocks last. The ground is uneven stone: with a pushchair, a baby carrier is better. Combine it with Herculaneum is on the same train line as Pompeii, and from the area you can climb the Great Cone of Vesuvius, the volcano that buried it. If you only have half a day, combine Herculaneum in the morning with a walk through Spaccanapoli on your return. - **Napoli Sotterranea, 40 Metres Beneath Via dei Tribunali** (1 h · No claustrophobia): What it is Beneath Naples' historic centre there is another city dug into tuff, the yellow volcanic stone on which it is built. The Greeks opened the first underground quarries in the 3rd century BC to extract blocks for walls and temples; later those cavities became cisterns linked to an aqueduct that supplied the city for centuries. In the Second World War they were fitted out as air-raid shelters, with stairs, levelled floors, electric light and latrines. Napoli Sotterranea is the association that runs the guided tour from Piazza San Gaetano, right on Via dei Tribunali. The route goes down to about 40 metres deep. What you see The Graeco-Roman aqueduct and its cisterns: galleries and water tanks carved into the rock, with passages so narrow that only one person fits. The wartime shelters: still with furniture, objects and graffiti from those who hid there during the bombings, and a small war museum. The Graeco-Roman theatre: remains of the theatre of ancient Neapolis, embedded in the houses of the district. The underground gardens and other spaces: the association grows plants underground, and has an art gallery and a space devoted to wine. Times and languages Tours leave in Italian and English at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 17:00 and 18:00. On Thursdays there is a departure at 21:00 by reservation only, with a minimum of 10 people. Other languages, groups and special times, always by reservation. There is no regular tour in Spanish: if you cannot manage in English or Italian, ask about a Spanish pass for groups. Booking and price If you are fewer than ten you do not need to book: you turn up at the meeting point at the departure time. If you want to secure a place, the association sells a "skip the queue" ticket on its booking website, which costs a little more than the normal entry. The website does not publish the price on the times page: you see it when booking or on arrival. Meeting point Piazza San Gaetano 69, next to the basilica of San Paolo Maggiore, on Via dei Tribunali. The entrance is marked with white and blue flags. The association itself warns that the Google Maps address is wrong: use the map link on its website. You cannot reach the surroundings by car, because it is a restricted traffic zone; from Dante metro station you arrive on foot. Before going down Underground there are steep stairs and very narrow passages. If you are claustrophobic or have mobility problems, this visit is not for you; the website gives no accessibility information, so ask beforehand. Wear closed shoes and bring a layer: it is cooler underground than in the street. The website does not publish the exact duration: ask when booking if you are short of time. With children Older children and teenagers usually find it fascinating: tunnels, shelters and the feeling of exploring. With small or easily frightened children, think about the narrow passages before going. Combine it with You are in the heart of the walk along Spaccanapoli and Via dei Tribunali. Five minutes away is the Sansevero Chapel, which requires a reservation: fit the times together to do both on the same day. - **Sansevero Chapel and the Veiled Christ** (45 min · From age 10 · Desde 12 € per person): What it is The Sansevero Chapel is a Baroque funerary chapel in the heart of Naples' historic centre, a few steps from Spaccanapoli. Its official name is Santa Maria della Pietà, and in the city it is called the Pietatella. Construction began in 1593, but what you see today is the work of Raimondo di Sangro, seventh Prince of Sansevero, inventor, writer and patron, who reorganised it from the 1740s until 1766 and commissioned almost everything it contains. Today it works as a private museum, the Museo Cappella Sansevero, and it is a short but very concentrated visit: in a single room you have some of the most astonishing sculptures of the 18th century. What you see The Veiled Christ: in the centre of the nave, a dead Christ lying under a veil that looks like fine, wet cloth, carved from the same block of marble. It was sculpted by Giuseppe Sanmartino in 1753. The commission had been given to Antonio Corradini, who died in 1752 without carrying it out. Pudicizia (Modesty): a female figure also covered by a transparent marble veil, by Corradini, from 1752. Disinganno (Release from Deception): a man freeing himself from a net, carved in marble by Francesco Queirolo. The net, openwork and separate from the body, is a technical tour de force. The ceiling: the fresco of the Glory of Paradise, by Francesco Maria Russo, dated 1749. The labyrinthine floor: a black and white marble pavement designed by Raimondo, which was damaged in a collapse in 1889 and relaid in 1901. The anatomical machines: in the crypt, two skeletons with a reconstruction of the system of arteries and veins, attributed to Giuseppe Salerno. Opening hours and closing days It opens every day from 9:00 to 19:00, except Tuesdays, when it is closed. Last entry is at 18:30. It is closed on 25 December, and on 24 and 31 December it opens only from 9:00 to 14:00. Other public holidays have special hours: check the museum's website. Tickets and booking Booking is compulsory. Tickets go on sale on the museum's website 60 days ahead and more are released two days before the date. They are not refunded, exchanged or cancelled once paid, so choose the day and time carefully. General: €12. Ages 18 to 26: €8. Ages 10 to 17: €6. Up to age 9: free. Person with a disability and companion: €7 for both. The audio guide costs €3.50 (two for €6), lasts about 25 minutes and is in Spanish. There is also a route designed for children aged 6 to 12. How long it takes and how to get there Allow about 45 minutes with the audio guide. The chapel is at Via Francesco De Sanctis 19/21, a narrow street between Spaccanapoli and Via dei Tribunali. From Dante metro station or Piazza del Gesù you arrive on foot in a few minutes along the Spaccanapoli walk. By car it makes no sense: the historic centre is a restricted traffic zone. With children and accessibility It is a single room with no long route, so it is not tiring, but children should be old enough to look calmly: the interest lies in the details of the marble. The audio guide's children's route helps. The museum has an accessibility section on its website and videos in Italian Sign Language; check there for the conditions of access to the crypt. Combine it with Five minutes away is the entrance to Napoli Sotterranea, in Piazza San Gaetano. Sansevero is a good first stop for a morning in the centre, and in the afternoon you can leave the city for Herculaneum by train. - **Spaccanapoli and Via dei Tribunali on Foot** (3 h · 3 km · Everyone · On your own · free): What it is Spaccanapoli is the straight street that "splits Naples" in two: more than a kilometre in a straight line through the historic centre. It is the old plateia of the Greek city and the lower decumanus of the Roman one, and it preserves a layout more than two thousand years old. It does not have a single name: in the most visited stretch it is called Via Benedetto Croce and then Via San Biagio dei Librai. Parallel to it, one block to the north, runs Via dei Tribunali, the greater decumanus. Between the two, and in the narrow streets that cross them, is a good part of what there is to see in the centre, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995. This walk is independent and free: you only pay for the churches, cloisters or museums you decide to go into. The route step by step About three kilometres in total, out along one street and back along the other, with no hills. Piazza del Gesù. You start here, with the diamond-point stone façade of the church of Gesù Nuovo and, opposite, the basilica of Santa Chiara, with its majolica cloister. Via Benedetto Croce. You walk east to Piazza San Domenico Maggiore, with the basilica of the same name. A step away, along Via De Sanctis, is the Sansevero Chapel, which needs a reservation. Largo Corpo di Napoli. The statue of the god Nile, a Roman sculpture that gave the district its name, and the church of Sant'Angelo a Nilo. Via San Biagio dei Librai. The booksellers' street, with shops, pastry shops and workshops. On the left runs Via San Gregorio Armeno, the nativity-makers' street, with figure workshops open all year. Via Duomo. Spaccanapoli continues towards Forcella, but the walk turns north here to the cathedral, which holds the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro. Return along Via dei Tribunali. Heading west you pass Piazza San Gaetano, with San Paolo Maggiore, San Lorenzo Maggiore and the entrance to Napoli Sotterranea, and pizzerias with queues on the pavement. The walk ends at Piazza Bellini or Port'Alba, a stone's throw from Piazza Dante. How long it takes Just walking, a little over an hour. With stops at a couple of churches, the nativity street and something to eat, allow about three hours. If you add Sansevero or Napoli Sotterranea, a good half day. Getting there By metro, get off at Dante (line 1) and walk to Piazza del Gesù, or start at Piazza Bellini. The historic centre is a restricted traffic zone: do not go by car. From the central station, Via Duomo is about twenty minutes' walk or one metro stop from Duomo station. When to go In the morning more shops and workshops are open and the churches are usually open. Many close at midday and reopen in the afternoon, each with its own hours: if one in particular interests you, check beforehand. In December Via San Gregorio Armeno fills with people for the nativity scenes; if you go then, go early. In summer walk on the shady side of the street: the streets are narrow and there is almost always some. With children and pushchairs It is flat, but the pavements are narrow, the ground is stone and motorbikes pass. With a pushchair it can be done, with patience; with small children, hold their hands at crossings. The nativity street, with its figures, usually delights them. Eating along the way On Via dei Tribunali there is a concentration of counter and shared-table pizzerias. To eat standing up, ask for a pizza a portafoglio, folded in four, or something fried from a street stall. At mealtimes there are queues: go before one o'clock or after three. - **Day Trip to Procida by Boat from Molo Beverello** (8 h · Everyone · Desde 12.7 € per ferry trip): What it is Procida is the smallest island in the Gulf of Naples: about 3.7 km², just under ten thousand inhabitants and no monument that makes you queue. What you come to see is the island itself: a fishing harbour with coloured houses, a walled village on the heights and coves you reach on foot. In 2022 it was Italian Capital of Culture, the first island to be, and scenes from Il postino and The Talented Mr Ripley were filmed here. Compared with Capri or Ischia, it is a quiet day trip, done on foot and needing nothing booked except the boat. Getting there The public shipping company Caremar links Naples with Procida all year with two types of boat: Aliscafo (hydrofoil, fast boat): leaves from Molo Beverello and takes about 40 minutes. It costs €17.40 each way. Ferry (traghetto): leaves from Calata Porta di Massa, a little further east in the same port, and takes around an hour. It costs €12.70. Children under 4 travel free on the ferries and ages 4 to 12 get a discount. Buying online adds €1 per ticket, and buying in advance adds a 12% surcharge. Timetables change by season: check them on Caremar's website, which has a real-time upcoming departures page. From Procida there are also boats to Pozzuoli and Ischia, in case you want to chain islands. You arrive at Marina Grande, the main port, with a ticket office, bar, cash machine and taxi rank. What to see in a day Marina Grande. The harbour, with the coloured façades you see as you arrive. Terra Murata. Walk up to the walled village, the oldest part of the island, on the highest hill, at 91 metres. At the top are the abbey of San Michele Arcangelo, from the 11th century, and the Palazzo d'Avalos, a 16th-century palace that was a prison. Corricella. From the viewpoints at Terra Murata you go down to this fishing harbour of pastel houses, the image of the island. It is a good place to eat fish in front of the boats. Chiaiolella and Vivara. To the south, the Chiaiolella marina, and next to it the islet of Vivara, a nature reserve joined to Procida by a bridge, within the Regno di Nettuno marine protected area. You can do it all on foot if you like walking. To go south there are local buses. How long and when to go A full day is ideal: take one of the first boats in the morning and come back late in the afternoon. If you like it, the island lends itself to staying the night. From May to October you can add a swim; in winter the boats run just the same and the island is even quieter, although fewer restaurants are open. In rough seas the hydrofoils may be suspended. If the day is rough, check the upcoming departures before going to the port and bear in mind that the ferry copes better with bad weather. With children It is a comfortable excursion with children: the boat ride is short and there are no great distances on the island. The streets are narrow and cars and motorbikes pass: hold their hands. The climb to Terra Murata is steep: with small children, a baby carrier is better than a pushchair. Combine it with If you have a spare day in Naples, the Great Cone of Vesuvius or Herculaneum can be done by train and bus. On the way back, a walk through Spaccanapoli rounds off the day well: Molo Beverello is about twenty minutes' walk from the historic centre. ## Dónde comer - **L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele** (Restaurant, Naples, €). Qué pedir: the margherita or the marinara; if you cannot decide, the marita, half and half. - **Mimì alla Ferrovia** (Restaurant, Naples, €€). Qué pedir: for a starter, the parmigiana di melanzane or the peperoni 'mbuttunati; then pasta mista, patate, provola e guanciale, and babà for dessert. - **Palazzo Petrucci** (Restaurant, Naples, €€€€). Qué pedir: the six-course Posillipo menu, or the five-course Lino Fai Tu if you want the chef to decide. ## By plane: Fly to Naples and take the Alibus to the centre Naples has its own airport, Capodichino, north of the city, with direct flights from several Spanish cities. From there you do not need a car: the Alibus bus drops you at Piazza Garibaldi, in front of the central station, from where the metro, the Circumvesuviana trains to Herculaneum and Pompeii and the high-speed trains to Rome leave. If there is no direct flight from your city, fly to Rome and take the train down: about an hour and ten minutes. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Grand Hotel Parker's** (Hotel): A hotel of 1870 above the gulf The Parker's is the oldest hotel in Naples: it opened in 1870 and Robert Louis Stevenson, Virginia Woolf and Oscar Wilde passed through it, according to the hotel itself. It is on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the road that runs along the mid-slope of the Chiaia hill, and from there you see the whole gulf, from Posillipo to Vesuvius. It is a luxury five-star with 67 rooms and suites, and the atmosphere of a classic grand hotel: Italian marble, crystal chandeliers, heavy curtains and period furniture. It suits those who want a special night in Naples or who prefer to sleep away from the noise of the historic centre and go down to it when they like. It is not a hotel for walking to everything: the old town is below and to the east, and the normal thing is to get around by taxi or public transport. The rooms There are five room categories: Standard, Classic, Deluxe with a view of the inner courtyard, Deluxe with a sea view and Deluxe with two queen beds and a view of the gulf. Above them are the suites, with names such as Parker's Suite, Honeymoon Suite or the two duplexes Prestige and Privilege, all with the sea in front, and the Signature Suites, larger, which the hotel suggests for travelling as a family. The difference that matters is the view: if you pay for the sea, you see the gulf and Vesuvius; the inner ones look onto the courtyard and are quieter. The website does not publish floor areas, check-in and check-out times or prices. Book on the official website or ask by phone, WhatsApp or email. Eating and drinking without leaving The hotel has the George Restaurant, which the house presents with two Michelin stars, and the Bidder Terrace, a terrace with cocktails and all-day cooking. Breakfast is served on the terrace with a view of the gulf. In autumn 2026 the hotel also sells the terrace to non-guests: an aperitif with a sea view for €37, breakfast on the terrace for €57 and a tasting menu for €137 per person, until 15 December. Getting there It is at number 135 Corso Vittorio Emanuele, in the Chiaia district. From the airport or the central station the most convenient is a taxi. From 5 October to 1 December 2026 the hotel offers the transfer if you stay at least two nights. For the historic centre and Via Toledo, go down by taxi or combine the funiculars and the metro. - **Hotel Piazza Bellini & Apartments** (Small hotel): An old palace in the students' square The hotel occupies a late 16th-century palace that, according to the house, belonged to the family of the Albanian leader Skanderbeg. The renovation left the oldest parts in view, vaults and 17th-century stone busts, and mixed them with contemporary design: parquet floors, strong colours and pieces commissioned by the owners. It faces Piazza Bellini, one of the liveliest squares in the historic centre, so at night there is atmosphere beneath the windows; the rooms have soundproofed windows. The location is the reason to choose it. The National Archaeological Museum, the Sansevero Chapel and the decumani are about five minutes' walk away, and there are two metro stations nearby. If you go to Naples without a car and want to get around on foot, it is a good base. The rooms They are all different, spread over five floors, with soundproofed windows, air conditioning, free wifi, minibar and safe. There are five types: Standard, from 14 to 20 m², for two; for a small supplement you get one with a view. Family, from 20 to 32 m², up to five people. Duplex, on the piano nobile, from 26 to 45 m², with ceilings over six metres high, a sitting room at the entrance and the bed on a mezzanine; also up to five. Terrace, from 12 to 20 m², with a private panoramic terrace. Economy, of 14 m², which looks onto a service area and is the cheapest. There are adapted rooms. As well as rooms, the hotel rents apartments in the same building. Breakfast and courtyard Breakfast is a buffet from 7:30 to 10:30 in the room or the inner courtyard: fruit, home-made tarts, croissants, fresh mozzarella and ricotta and sfogliatella with coffee. Beneath a 16th-century arch, the courtyard has a small bar, the Buvette, open from 11:00 to 21:30, with wines of the region, craft beer and something to nibble. There is no half board, but they source gluten-free products for breakfast if you let them know. Getting there From the central station, the metro leaves you nearby; the hotel does not recommend arriving by car because it is in a limited traffic zone. If you do go by car, write to them beforehand so they can prepare the entry permit. - **Hostel Mancini** (Hostel): The hostel next to the station Hostel Mancini opened in 1998 and was the first independent hostel in Naples. It is on Via Pasquale Stanislao Mancini, about 650 metres from Napoli Centrale station and three minutes from the Antica Pizzeria da Michele. It is a good base for those who come to Naples to see what is around: the Circumvesuviana trains to Herculaneum and Pompeii leave from the same area of the station, and the historic centre begins about twenty minutes' walk away. It is a simple hostel, on the second floor of a building with a lift, designed for solo travellers, students, groups of friends and families looking for a tight price. Do not expect palace charm: what it offers is location, breakfast and a kitchen to make your dinner. Dormitories and rooms There are shared dormitories of four, five and six beds, mixed or women only, and private rooms for couples, families or groups. If you want a bathroom in the room, there is a small supplement. Rates are not published outside the booking engine: check them on the hostel's website with your dates. What is included Breakfast is free every day. There is fast wifi, laundry, 24-hour reception, free lockers and luggage storage, which is not offered to groups. The common areas are a free kitchen, a dining room and a television room with a games console. For a cheap dinner, the shared kitchen and the markets of the station district go a long way. Getting there From the central station, leave by Piazza Garibaldi and walk straight to the statue of Garibaldi. Behind it you will see in the distance a Kimbo coffee sign high up: go down that street, with a car park in the middle, almost to the end. The hostel sign is on the left and another larger one on the second floor; ring the bell of Hostel Mancini. From Capodichino airport, the Alibus, with a ticket on board, drops you at Piazza Garibaldi, next to the statue. ## Car-free: Without a car: on foot, by metro and on the Circumvesuviana Naples is best done without a car. The traffic is chaotic, the historic centre is a limited traffic zone and everything important is on foot, by metro or by train: Herculaneum and Pompeii on the Circumvesuviana, Vesuvius by train and bus, and Procida by hydrofoil. Presupuesto orientativo: 60–160 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir without a car - **Hotel Piazza Bellini & Apartments** (Small hotel): An old palace in the students' square The hotel occupies a late 16th-century palace that, according to the house, belonged to the family of the Albanian leader Skanderbeg. The renovation left the oldest parts in view, vaults and 17th-century stone busts, and mixed them with contemporary design: parquet floors, strong colours and pieces commissioned by the owners. It faces Piazza Bellini, one of the liveliest squares in the historic centre, so at night there is atmosphere beneath the windows; the rooms have soundproofed windows. The location is the reason to choose it. The National Archaeological Museum, the Sansevero Chapel and the decumani are about five minutes' walk away, and there are two metro stations nearby. If you go to Naples without a car and want to get around on foot, it is a good base. The rooms They are all different, spread over five floors, with soundproofed windows, air conditioning, free wifi, minibar and safe. There are five types: Standard, from 14 to 20 m², for two; for a small supplement you get one with a view. Family, from 20 to 32 m², up to five people. Duplex, on the piano nobile, from 26 to 45 m², with ceilings over six metres high, a sitting room at the entrance and the bed on a mezzanine; also up to five. Terrace, from 12 to 20 m², with a private panoramic terrace. Economy, of 14 m², which looks onto a service area and is the cheapest. There are adapted rooms. As well as rooms, the hotel rents apartments in the same building. Breakfast and courtyard Breakfast is a buffet from 7:30 to 10:30 in the room or the inner courtyard: fruit, home-made tarts, croissants, fresh mozzarella and ricotta and sfogliatella with coffee. Beneath a 16th-century arch, the courtyard has a small bar, the Buvette, open from 11:00 to 21:30, with wines of the region, craft beer and something to nibble. There is no half board, but they source gluten-free products for breakfast if you let them know. Getting there From the central station, the metro leaves you nearby; the hotel does not recommend arriving by car because it is in a limited traffic zone. If you do go by car, write to them beforehand so they can prepare the entry permit. - **Hostel Mancini** (Hostel): The hostel next to the station Hostel Mancini opened in 1998 and was the first independent hostel in Naples. It is on Via Pasquale Stanislao Mancini, about 650 metres from Napoli Centrale station and three minutes from the Antica Pizzeria da Michele. It is a good base for those who come to Naples to see what is around: the Circumvesuviana trains to Herculaneum and Pompeii leave from the same area of the station, and the historic centre begins about twenty minutes' walk away. It is a simple hostel, on the second floor of a building with a lift, designed for solo travellers, students, groups of friends and families looking for a tight price. Do not expect palace charm: what it offers is location, breakfast and a kitchen to make your dinner. Dormitories and rooms There are shared dormitories of four, five and six beds, mixed or women only, and private rooms for couples, families or groups. If you want a bathroom in the room, there is a small supplement. Rates are not published outside the booking engine: check them on the hostel's website with your dates. What is included Breakfast is free every day. There is fast wifi, laundry, 24-hour reception, free lockers and luggage storage, which is not offered to groups. The common areas are a free kitchen, a dining room and a television room with a games console. For a cheap dinner, the shared kitchen and the markets of the station district go a long way. Getting there From the central station, leave by Piazza Garibaldi and walk straight to the statue of Garibaldi. Behind it you will see in the distance a Kimbo coffee sign high up: go down that street, with a car park in the middle, almost to the end. The hostel sign is on the left and another larger one on the second floor; ring the bell of Hostel Mancini. From Capodichino airport, the Alibus, with a ticket on board, drops you at Piazza Garibaldi, next to the statue. ## As a family: Naples with the Family, Between Volcanoes and Ruins What works best with children is what they can touch with their feet: Vesuvius's ash, Pompeii's cobbled streets, a boat to an island. The historic centre, on the other hand, is noisy and full of motorbikes: better in short doses. ### What works best The Vesuvius trail, short and with a real crater at the end Herculaneum, which can be seen in two or three hours Pompeii cut down to the forum, a few streets and the amphitheatre The hydrofoil to Procida, for a day at sea ### Where to sleep Near a metro stop or a Circumvesuviana station ### Where to eat Margherita pizza and fried pizza in the historic centre ### Keep in mind Pompeii's cobbles are very hard going for a pushchair There is almost no shade on Vesuvius or at Pompeii In the centre, motorbikes ride along streets with no pavement ### Qué hacer as a family - Pompeii by Train from Naples - Great Cone Trail up Vesuvius - Herculaneum, the City Covered by Mud - Spaccanapoli and Via dei Tribunali on Foot - Day Trip to Procida by Boat from Molo Beverello ## With teenagers: Naples for Teenagers Naples has what hooks a teenager: an active volcano, tunnels under the city and a Roman city frozen by an eruption. Give them a map in Spaccanapoli and let them choose where to eat. ### What works best Napoli Sotterranea, with passages one person wide The crater of Vesuvius Pompeii, with the amphitheatre and the casts of the victims The Veiled Christ, a marble that looks like cloth ### Where to sleep In the historic centre, to go out for walks at night ### Where to eat Pizza a portafoglio, folded and to take away ### Keep in mind In the EU, ages 18 to 24 pay €2 for Pompeii Napoli Sotterranea is not for anyone with claustrophobia ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Pompeii by Train from Naples - Great Cone Trail up Vesuvius - Herculaneum, the City Covered by Mud - Napoli Sotterranea, 40 Metres Beneath Via dei Tribunali - Sansevero Chapel and the Veiled Christ - Spaccanapoli and Via dei Tribunali on Foot ## Consejos ### One day, one site Pompeii and Herculaneum on the same day is too much. Combine Herculaneum with Vesuvius, which both leave from Ercolano. ### Check the weather warning With an orange alert the Vesuvius trail closes. ### Go to Procida by hydrofoil You arrive in about 40 minutes from Molo Beverello. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How many days do I need? Three or four: one for the centre, one for Pompeii, one for Herculaneum and Vesuvius, and another for an island. ### How do I get to Pompeii? On the Circumvesuviana Napoli–Sorrento to Pompei Villa dei Misteri, next to the Porta Marina entrance. ### How much does it cost to climb Vesuvius? €10 general admission, plus booking fees, only at vesuviopark.vivaticket.it. ### Which is better, Pompeii or Herculaneum? Pompeii is bigger and more complete; Herculaneum, smaller and better preserved. If you only have half a day, Herculaneum. ### Which day is the Sansevero Chapel closed? Tuesdays. On other days it opens from 9:00 to 19:00.